


Someone to Come Back to

by Gothic_Fairy



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Gang Things, Injured Joaquin, Joavin, M/M, Not Serious, Sleepy Cuddles, Talking, The Serpents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-06 22:33:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11045709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothic_Fairy/pseuds/Gothic_Fairy
Summary: It's always been hard for Kevin not to ask about the things Joaquin was obviously not telling him. He kept thinking that maybe it's better that way. What he doesn't know about won't hurt him, right? Until today. When Joaquin comes to his room after a fight, he refuses to simply look away. He cares too much to do so. He knows Joaquin can't speak about everything, but a little answer or two can't do much bad.





	Someone to Come Back to

Kevin couldn’t help but watch the way Joaquin’s face softened when asleep. The way his wavy black hair fell down and around his head creating a dark halo, his brows were finally not furrowed and lips slightly parted as if asking for a kiss. A kiss, a promise, a moment when the whole world would stop to admire the soft curve of his cheekbones or the barely noticeable dimple on his chin.

He was beautiful, Kevin thought. So beautiful he could spent a whole eternity just looking at him.

But this time, though, there were other things he couldn’t ignore. The strong kissable jaw was now covered in colorful bruises, the soft skin around his eye was getting darker with every minute and there was still a little bit of dried blood in the corner of his mouth where his bottom lip has been torn. Even when his features were calm and peaceful, he remembered the painful grimace that Joaquin was trying to hide after he came to Kevin’s bedroom.

Kevin had to admit, he quite liked the idea of Joaquin coming to his room in the middle of the night, while his father was sleeping downstairs, or dropping in during the day and leaving a little something on his desk - like a single flower or a simple note saying he won’t be able to visit in the evening but would make up for it the following day. It was a risk for the both of them - they promised to keep things secret after all - but in the same time, it brought a strange sense of excitement into Kevin’s life. It made blood rush through his body and adrenaline levels rise.

But this time, he froze for a second, as he watched Joaquin climb in through the window. Kevin had seen him after a fight before - it mostly meant a few bruises or a ripped jacket, but Joaquin always talked it off as a bar fight or something for the Serpents. But the circles under his eyes and the amount of energy he had to use in order to keep himself upright were telling a different story that night. He was obviously exhausted, but even then he made sure to come just in time for their usual meeting. Kevin didn’t know if he should be happy for the gesture or scold him for sneaking on the roof while injured.

So he did both.

He was next to Joaquin in an instant, barely aware of what he was doing, touching his face and shoulders, looking for signs of a more serious injury. Even when Joaquin assured him he had just a few scratches and no broken bones, he still felt the bitter sting of worry in his guts. This wasn’t the type of adrenaline he asked for.

It was the first time he felt this kind of a fear. A fear that left his hands a shaky mess and his heart racing, because someone he cared for was in danger - or at least had been in danger - and he couldn’t do anything about it. It took him a moment of simply holding Joaquin in his arms to calm down.

And it seemed like Joaquin truly wanted to try and explain, reassure him that he was fine, but couldn’t find the words or strength to do so. It wasn’t long before Kevin wrapped them both in a blanket and Joaquin fell asleep on his shoulder.

Even now Kevin’s chest hurt a little at the sight of Joaquin’s broken and bruised skin. Joaquin was lying on his side, his whole body pressed against Kevin’s, their legs entwined. One of his hands came to rest on Kevin’s chest, crumbling his t-shirt, and every now and then Joaquin would let out a small puff of air, as if sighing contently.

They’ve come to the point where they knew each other well enough for Kevin to be able to say that Joaquin wasn’t just the bad boy he wanted people to see. There was so much more of him besides the biker look and dangerous smirks. There were the little things that made Kevin take a glance at his softer side.  Joaquin wasn’t exactly a deep-rooted romantic but the moments when they exchanged a sleepy stare or he genuinely smiled at Kevin instead of giving him a boyish grin, those moments made his heart melt in the best way possible.

‘He’s no a bad kid.’ Kevin’s father would say about any other guy like Joaquin. ‘Sometimes bad things happen and bad choices are made, even by good people. That’s just the way life is.’

And Kevin really wanted to believe that. Joaquin had to learn to live a tough life from early age but maybe if he was born somewhere else, under different circumstances, he might have been just an ordinary teenager enjoying a milkshake at Pop’s at 10pm.

On the other hand, tough, maybe they were exactly the circumstances that brought them together. The reason Kevin turned around in the drive-in and saw Joaquin for the first time or the fact that he was the one to be sent for a popcorn refill again. It couldn’t have been a simple coincidence, could it? There must have been a bit of destiny there as well. Or so he thought.

He was still running his fingers through the silky black strands and over the sharp edges of a brow bone, when he felt Joaquin start to stir. His hold tightened around Kevin’s middle and he let out a heavy breath, shuffling closer and pressing his face in the crook of his neck.

He breathed in and out once more, then stopped.

“Kev?” His raspy voice spoke up, muffled by their closeness. It was clear he wasn’t fully awake yet, trying to make out the reason he woke up in Kevin’s arms. He lifted himself on one of his elbows and looked around, finally realizing where he was. “Hell.. I’m sorry, Kev.. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” There might have been a little tint of strange embarrassment in his words.

His gaze found Kevin’s only to see a smile, slowly spreading and making something shift inside of Joaquin. There was a bit of light shining in Kevin’s eyes and for a second, it felt as if that little spark was enough to lead him through the deepest darkness. Maybe it was the fact that he just woke up or it has always been there waiting for him to catch up. The warmth of their skin, the tangled sheets, the affection shown in Kevin’s face.

“It’s okay.” Kevin replied. “You really needed a nap.” A small laugh rumbled in his chest and made Joaquin’s own lips twitch.

“Besides.” He continued. “You know that I’m all for cuddling. Ready, whenever you are.” Kevin’s arms wrapped around his shoulders again and brought them closer, pressing their foreheads together. Kevin closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of Joaquin’s freshly washed hair and worn-out leather. He wanted to enjoy every second he could get from that moment. Every touch, every look, every little thing.

He could feel Joaquin’s eyes watching him the whole time, the strong yet tender hands on his hips, thumbs drawing a pattern where his t-shirt has ridden up.

“Joaquin?” He asked after another couple of breaths and opened his eyes. He could hear his voice dropping and he was sorry to destroy the warm atmosphere and break the connection they shared. “Can you tell me what happened? At least this one time?”

This wasn’t the kind of a question that Joaquin could simply not answer and kiss Kevin instead. He knew how many times Kevin wanted to ask it before. Even if he wasn’t sheriff’s son, being curious was an undeniable part of him. He wasn’t someone you could lie to, the one you could simply deceive. Joaquin knew that, admired it.

The look in Kevin’s eyes was begging him to say something. Kevin bit his lower lip nervously, but didn’t back down. It made Joaquin’s heart swell to see him like that. Like he expected the worst.

“It wasn’t anything illegal if that’s what you’re asking.” Perhaps it wasn’t the right time to be joking, but it made the silence at least a bit more bearable. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to tell Kevin anything about the Serpents, but there was a part of him that ached from the thought of lying to his face. He cared for Kevin. Somebody might say that a little too much. And he wanted to finally let go.

“There were these.. guys that have been wandering around the Southside for a while now. They were obviously gang members as well, but they weren’t locals. Probably not even from this state. Firstly we thought, they would be just regular passer-by’s, that they didn’t know who the area belonged to.”

“So.. it was like a territory thing?” Joaquin heard the skeptical undertone, but there was also worry in there. “Does it happen.. often?”

“No, not really.” Joaquin chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “ At least not around here. We are a small town in the middle of nowhere. It’s not like we have a lot of other gangs to fight with. If we were a part of a large city, sure, things could get crazy anytime. But here..” He sighed heavily, then licked his lips. He stood before a huge decision. He could either laugh it off like it’s not a big deal or he could try to tell a part of the truth, make Kevin understand a piece of his world.

“Look. I’m not gonna lie to you. There are a ton of stuff going on behind closed door, but I’m trying, you know.. trying to stay out of trouble. Do only what I need to do. Sometimes it’s easier. And sometimes it’s not. But I’m trying.”

He knew this pretty much counted as a confession to all the bad thing he’s done and for all he knew Kevin might want to slam the door to his face then. Kevin was smart and intelligent, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be naive. This might be the point where he actually realizes what it is to date someone like Joaquin and he might not even want it anymore.

But instead, Kevin nodded.

“Yeah, I know.” And he really seemed to understand. Like he knew how much effort it took for Joaquin to lay low, not catch the wrong type of attention.

He reached out and placed a loose strand of hair behind Joaquin’s ear. His eyes encouraged him to continue.

“Me and couple of other men were sent out to confront them, when they started to make a mess. It wasn’t like they were leaving anytime soon, but it wasn’t supposed to be anything too serious. Just go there, give a few warnings and threats and go home. I was the youngest one there. Whatever you believe, the Serpents gave home to a lot of kids, including me. And we take care of our own.

Things were going smoothly at first. But the guys came from a bigger and stronger gang and they started a fight. They had to leave in the end, but I got a bit unlucky, landed a few bad shots and it came to bite me back. But I’m here, right?”

“Yes. You are.” Kevin took one of Joaquin’s hands and squeezed it between them, ignoring the scratched knuckles. “And the other-gang guys? Did you..?”

“Beat them into a pulp? No, we didn’t. I mean, they got some harsh hits, but they left on their own feet. Don’t worry about it.”

And Joaquin meant it. It wasn’t like he was okay with beating someone to death. In his world things like that happened, but like he told Kevin - he tried to stay out of it.

It seemed that Kevin finally calmed down enough to let a small smile appear on his lips.

“Will you tell me? Next time you’re.. going out? I wanna know if something’s going on.”

“I don’t know..” Joaquin said with a wide grin and reduced the space between their bodies. “Didn’t I just tell you not to worry? This has nothing to with you.”

“Well it obviously has something to do with _you_.” Kevin’s eyes were pleading and there was only a few centimeter separating them now. He lowered his voice to a soft whisper: “And the last time I checked, you were my boyfriend. Which means it’s my business as well.”

Those words probably shouldn’t feel as good as they did. It made Joaquin’s heart start beating like crazy and he couldn’t stop himself anymore. He reached out and brought Kevin close by the nape of his neck before finally kissing him. It was far from the passionate kisses they shared so far, because it was so much more. It was the only way Joaquin was able to express everything in that moment. It was a promise that he’d always come back to him and it was a thank you for having someone to come back to. It was more than Joaquin ever thought he would have.

Both of them knew that since the day that Kevin found himself pressed against that fence, their lives have been slowly reaching out, tangling and sharing little pieces of them. The more time they spent together, the closer they got. They were becoming a solid part of each other’s lives and even if that sounded scary sometimes, they would figure it out. They believed.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, guys! I know I haven't been posting much lately, but you know how it is - life happens, family duties and my cat was ill T-T (he's okay now). Also, the program I use for writing is not very compatible with either Ao3 or Tumblr, so it took me several hours to fix it - it pretty much cut off every single word at the end of every single line..  
> I hope you'll enjoy at least a little fluffy Riverdale fic (I'm totally not obsessed with Rob Raco and Casey Cott at the moment).  
> And yes, the end kinda sucks, hh. Seems like I simply can't write a good one *ouch*. Working on it, though.  
> If you have any more ideas you'd like me to give a try, you can leave them on my [Promt Me](https://gothic--fairy.tumblr.com/) page ^^.


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